Page 57 of What Started In Deception

She nodded as she kept her arms crossed.

“I imagine I should read the room and say good night, but I don’t want to leave things like this. Will you come watch TV with me for a little while?”

She continued to hold his stare, saying nothing as painful seconds ticked by.

“Please trust me, Lyd. Let’s watch some TV for a while.”

Finally, she nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay,” he said, walking back to the living room with her, settling on the couch again.

He captured her rigid hand in his, waiting for her to relax, realizing that they still had plenty of work to do. He and Lydia were rockin’ and rollin’ in Oliver Heights, but Oliver Heights wasn’t Massachusetts.

Chapter Fourteen

Lydia stared out her window, noting the sharp uptick in traffic as Ty drove them closer to the city. The rolling hills and farm country that had been their scenery for the last couple of hours had quickly given way to the numerous buildings of civilization.

She plucked a green grape from the container on her lap, snacking on the sweet fruit as Ty moved around a slower vehicle that was clogging up the fast lane. “Do you want a grape?”

He looked at her. “Sure.”

She pulled another piece of fruit off the vine, handing it to him.

“Thanks,” he said as he popped it into his mouth.

“You’re welcome.”

He swallowed his bite as he stretched his tough body in his seat. “It shouldn’t be long now. Another fifteen minutes.”

She nodded, knowing exactly where they were, no stranger to the drive. She’d made the trip to and from DC numerous times.

Ty reached for the grapes as he kept his eyes on the road.

Snagging her bottom lip with her teeth, she moved the container farther to the right.

His hand touched her thigh, and he frowned, glancing her way. He gave his attention back to the traffic, reaching again as she inched the plastic toward her knees.

He grinned as he touched her skin again. “What are you doing?”

“Messing with you.”

His smile grew wider. “Clearly.”

She laughed, happy that everything felt normal between them again after things had gotten tense on Friday night. “My repentance,” she said, handing him two grapes this time.

He chuckled as he took them. “Thanks.”

Her smile was back as she looked out the windshield, remembering how Ty had been holding a gorgeous floral arrangement from Marney’s store when he knocked on her door yesterday morning.

It still melted her heart that he’d waited for her to set the vaseful of cheerful summer blooms in the center of the island, then captured her hands and held her gaze as he reminded her that he was going to take care with her family.

It was getting easier to believe him, especially when Everly and story time never came up again.

When three o’clock had rolled around, he’d tossed her a wave and left, then joined her for dinner at six before they went their separate ways to pack for their getaway.

She glanced his way again, studying his fantastic profile and how great he looked in his black short-sleeve button-down and white shorts. Her gaze stopped on his service weapon that sat holstered on his hip—something that he hadn’t done before. But today, they were on his turf. Today, she would get a chance to see what Special Agent Tyler Corddry’s life was like. “Tell me one of your secrets,” she blurted out.

He raised his brow as he looked at her.